Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Perceptive Pixel, Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

Jonathan Westhues

Tianzhu Qiao

Jefferson Y Han

Amir Zyskind

Denis Varlamov

Arie Yehuda Gur

On Haran

Sean M Donnelly

Daniel Allen Rosenfeld

Jason D Wilson

Daniel Rosenfeld

Nicolas Villar

John Helmes

Shahram Izadi

Steven Nabil Bathiche

Hrvoje Benko

Kurt Jenkins

Charles Whipple Case, Jr

David Elliott Slobodin

Zohar Nagola

Paul Henry Dietz

John R Lewis

Gilad Pundak

Garret Buban

Ilan Geller

Randall T Crane

Amar Vattakandy

Igor V Grebnev

Yingying Tang

Dominic Lai

Examples are disclosed that relate to methods and computing devices for determining a distance of an input device from a surface of a computing device. In one example, a method comprises receiving a plurality of input device signals via the input device. A portion of the input device signals are used to determine an effective voltage of the input device. Adjusted input device signals are generated by adjusting another portion of input device signals using the effective voltage of the input device. The method further comprises providing the adjusted input device signals as an input to a distance model, and receiving and outputting the distance of the input device from the surface of the computing device.

Determining a distance to an input device

A touch-sensitive device, including a capacitive touch-sensitive surface including an array of electrodes. The touch-sensitive device may further include processing circuitry configured to determine a detected position at which a stylus contacts or hovers above the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. The processing circuitry may determine, based at least in part on the detected position, a first and second electrode set of the electrodes included in the array. The detected position may be located proximate to one or more first row electrodes and/or one or more first column electrodes included in the first electrode set. The second electrode set may include a plurality of second row electrodes and a plurality of second column electrodes not included in the first electrode set. The touch-sensitive device may further include a driving circuit configured to transmit a first driving signal to the first electrode set and a second driving signal to the second electrode set.

Driving signals for capacitive touch-sensitive surface

A touch-sensitive display device includes a touch sensor having a plurality of display electrodes and control logic coupled to the plurality of display electrodes. The control logic is configured to receive, for each of a plurality of stylus electrodes of an active stylus interacting with the touch-sensitive display device, a spatial capacitance measurement over the touch sensor for that stylus electrode. Relative to the touch sensor, and based on spatial capacitance measurements of the stylus electrodes, the control logic is configured to determine (i) a tip position of the active stylus, (ii) a tilt parameter of the active stylus, and (iii) a twist parameter of the active stylus.

Position, tilt, and twist detection for stylus

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to various operational modes of a capacitive touch sensor. One example provides a touch-sensitive input device comprising receive circuitry, a capacitive touch sensor having a plurality of portions, and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to not detecting a finger or a pen, operate the touch sensor in a locating mode by successively driving each portion with a fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the portion to the receive circuitry in a predefined sequence, and responsive to detecting the pen, operate the touch sensor in a tracking mode by driving a selected portion with the fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the selected portion to the receive circuitry to track the pen, the selected portion selected based on a detected location of the pen relative to the touch sensor and being varied as the detected location changes.

Touch sensor locating mode

An active stylus includes a stylus electrode, receive circuitry, and transmit circuitry. The stylus electrode is configured to capacitively couple with one or more electrodes of a capacitance-based touch sensor of a touch-sensitive device. The receive circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to receive a synchronization waveform from the touch-sensitive device. The transmit circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to, upon receiving the synchronization waveform, transmit stylus information to the touch-sensitive device according to a communication frame including a first set of sub-frames and a second set of sub-frames. The transmit circuitry is configured to transmit a first waveform during the first set, if the active stylus is hovering, transmit the first waveform during the second set, and if the active stylus is not hovering, transmit one or more additional waveforms during the second set.

Stylus hover and position communication protocol

A touch-sensitive display device includes a capacitance-based touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes, a display including a plurality of pixels, an image source configured to output image frames at a video frame rate, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform capacitance measurements on the capacitance-based touch sensor in capacitance-measurement intervals of a touch-sensing frame, and perform display-write operations on the display to write each image frame to the display in display-write intervals of the touch-sensing frame that do not temporally overlap with the capacitance-measurement intervals of the touch-sensing frame. The controller is configured repeat the touch-sensing frame at a fixed touch-sensing frame rate that is different than the video frame rate.

Multiplexing capacitance sensing and display functionality

A touch-sensitive in-cell display device includes an active matrix of row conductors and column conductors, a plurality of pixels, and a controller. Each pixel is connected to a row conductor and a column conductor at a different intersection of the active matrix and each pixel is connected to a common electrode. The controller is configured to perform a display-write operation on a pixel at a first time at least by applying different voltages to the row conductor, the column conductor, and the common electrode connected to the first pixel, and perform an electrostatic measurement at a second time at least by applying a same common-mode excitation voltage to the row conductor, the column conductor, and the common electrode connected to the pixel, while measuring a current through a designated conductor.

Common-mode and differential signals for touch display

A touch-sensitive device includes a touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes and receive circuitry configured to interpret a response on one or more electrodes of the plurality of electrodes based on stylus waveforms being driven on a stylus electrode of an active stylus. The touch-sensitive device is configured to correlate the stylus waveforms with one or more reference waveforms to produce correlation magnitudes; The touch-sensitive device is further configured to map each correlation magnitude to a demodulation symbol selected from a plurality of demodulation symbols of a one-dimensional, non-uniform constellation. Each demodulation symbol encodes multiple data bits. The touch-sensitive device is further configured to decode the mapped demodulation symbols to determine a plurality of data bits of stylus information of the active stylus.

Non-uniform code constellations in electrostatic communication

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to reducing noise in received signals. An example provides a method comprising receiving, via one or more electrodes of an input device, a capacitive signal, for each of two or more reference sequences designed for a respective capacitive signal condition, correlating the capacitive signal with the reference sequence, and identifying a particular one of the two or more reference sequences that produced a highest noise immunity when correlated with the capacitive signal. The method may further comprise correlating the identified reference sequence with a subsequent capacitive signal to thereby receive information in the subsequent capacitive signal regarding an input device condition.

Selecting correlation reference based on noise estimation

An active stylus includes a stylus electrode configured to electrostatically couple with one or more electrodes of a display device having a capacitance-based touch sensor, transmit logic configured to drive the stylus electrode with a synchronization waveform that is configured, via interpreting a response on one or more electrodes of a first display device, to enable the first display device to become time synchronized with the active stylus in a stylus-initiated synchronization mode, receive logic configured to interpret a response on the stylus electrode caused by a synchronization waveform being driven on one or more electrodes of a second display device, to enable the active stylus to become time synchronized with the second display device in a display-initiated synchronization mode, and a controller configured, in response to detection of a condition, to cause the active stylus to switch from one of the synchronization modes to the other.

Active stylus synchronization with multiple communication protocols

The presently disclosed technology uses predefined handwriting characteristics to create and/or refine a stylus position interpolation function over time to provide more accurate and adaptive renderings of the user's handwriting on a touch screen. As the presently disclosed technology is performed on a specific device and uses data collected from one or more specific users, it adapts the stylus position interpolation function for any device-specific or user-specific variations. Further, as the stylus position interpolation function adapts iteratively over time, it may not converge and continues to adapt as the device ages, the user's habits change, or identify of the user changes, and environmental conditions of the device change.

Adaptive stylus position interpolation

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to communication between a capacitive touch sensor and an active stylus. An example provides an active stylus comprising an electrode tip, and receive circuitry coupled to the electrode tip. The receive circuitry may be configured to receive a capacitive signal from a touch sensor through the electrode tip, determine which of two or more drive signals produced by respective regions of the touch sensor most strongly influenced the capacitive signal, each drive signal being associated with a different operating mode, and configure one or both of the active stylus and the touch sensor to operate in the operating mode associated with the determined drive signal.

Active stylus synchronization

A touch-sensitive device includes a capacitance-based touch sensor, drive circuitry configured to drive touch sensor electrodes with a synchronization waveform to enable an active stylus to become time synchronized with the touch-sensitive device, and receive circuitry configured to determine a position of the active stylus based on electrostatically receiving a first waveform from the active stylus. Depending on when the touch-sensitive device receives the first waveform from the active stylus, the touch-sensitive device interprets the first waveform differently to determine a position of the active stylus or determine that the active stylus is hovering. In either case, the same waveform is used to communicate different information about the active stylus to the touch-sensitive device.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Jonathan Westhues